Apparatus for drilling wells



Sept. 29, 1953 D. A. MCGEE ET'AL APPARATUS FOR DRILLING wms 12Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 20, 1948 INVEN ToRs M Q. lye Gee ZZJ Zwesom7077a 52% Sept. 29, 1953 D. A. MCGEE ETAL 2,653,795

APPARATUS FOR DRILLING WELLS Filed May 20, 1948 12 Sheets-sheaf 2 I' l]INVENTORS 55 M Jamal/463a 25 flzayfim'efiam /07/fl Q ZQZZ Sept. 29, 1953D. A. MOGEE ETAL 2,653,796

APPARATUS FOR DRILLING WELLS Filed May 20, 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet sINVENTORS.

Jean flflz' ee fizz: flrmesm 755a jeale 2.?M

p 1953 D. A. MG'GEE ET AL 2,653,796

APPARATUS FOR DRILLING WELLS Filed May 20, 1948 HI'II I y 'I'I II' n Ib? a if Hll JNVENTOR. flmd Q iwmbaw 072W Jew Sept. 29, 1953 D. A. MCGEEETAL- 2,653,796

APPARATUS FOR DRILLING WELLS Filed May 20, 1948 12 Sheets-Shed 5 III III

Sept. 29, 1953 D. A. MOGEE ETAL APPARATUS FOR DRILLING WELLS l2Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed May 20, 1948 MNN Ev m wbm NM 12 Sheets-Sheet 8 D.A. M GEE ET AL.

APPARATUS FOR DRILLING WELLS INVENTORJ Sept. 29, 1953 Filed May 20, 1948N \NM\ \QNQ Sept. 29, 1953 D. A. MCGEE ETAL 2,653,796

APPARATUS FOR DRILLING WELLS Filed May 20, 1948 12 Sheefi-Sheet 9 V 4 V694 fl fi! INVENTORJ.

D. A. M GEE ET AL APPARATUS FOR DRILLING WELLS Sept. 29, 1953 12Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed May 20, 1948 A.AA lwmw mww $5 .5 2 E A 9 A A A A A0000000 A E w 1 0 6 0 6 E QQ 0906M %Q% %Q A @Q Q A A G l QM A QR, NQ QSept. 29, 1953 D. A. M GEE ETAL 2,653,795

APPARATUS FOR DRILLING WELLS Filed May 20, 1948 12 Sheets-Sheet ll IN VEN TORS Sept. 29, 1953 D. A. MCGEE ETAL APPARATUS FOR DRILLING WELLS l2Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed May 20, 1948 Aug l 1' INVENTORsf Patented Sept.29, 1953 APPARATUS FOR DRILLINGeWELLS Dean A. McGee, Otis Danielson,and" Tom Scale,

Oklahoma City, Okla., assignors to Kerr- McGee. Oil Industries, Inc.,Oklahoma Cityi Okla, a corporation of Delaware Application May 20,,1948, Serial 1%..28306.

6- Claims:

This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for drilling wells.More particularly, it relates to an apparatus and-method for drillingoil wells in open, unprotected water.

Although oil wells have been drilled u-nder water heretofore, suchdrilling has been done in relatively shallow water protected to someextent at least by shoals or reefs or other bodies of land. In suchprior operations various types of structures have been employed tosupport: the equipment required to drill the well including platformssupported on pilings. and sunken barges. Such structures are not suitedto drilling in open water, however, because the cost of constructing andprotecting them is too great.

It is the object of this invention to provide an oil well drilling rigadapted to be. used in open, unprotected water.

Av further object is to provide a drilling rig of. this type which isrelatively inexpensive to construct and which can be recovered and.reused in large part at a number of widely separated points.

Still another object is to provide a drilling rigof this type which inlarge part at" least can be protected against destruction. during severeweather conditions.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

It has now been found that the foregoing objects are accomplished by acombination of a floating structure and a small cooperating platformstructure fixedly supported on the bed of the body of water under whichthe well is to be drilled, for example, on pilings. All of the equipmentrequired to drillan oil well canbezmounted on this combination ofstructures in such a way as to-make it feasible to; drill, oil wellsinwater which is open and unprotectedby any adjacent. land.

In order that the invention may be better understood reference is madeto the accompanying, drawings which form a part of this specificationvand in which:

Figure l is a plan View oi an open water drilling rig embodying featuresof the present in-, vention;

Figure 2 is. a view in side elevation of. the drilling rig shown inFigure 1;

Figure 3 is anend elevation of thedrilling rig shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4- is anen-larged, detailed, fragmentary,

elevational View of the; platform portion of the drilling rig shown inFigure 1 taken from, the

side opposite to that shown in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a plan. view of the upper level of the platform;

Figure 6 is-a plan viewof the main platform level'j;

'7 is anenlarged; detailed, fragmentary, end, elevational viewofthe-endof the platform opposite to that shown in Figure 2;

. Figure 8 is an enlarged, detail, fragmentary Viewer 2. portion oftheelevation shown in- Figure 3;

Figure 9 is an oi-i-tboard profile of the floating portion of therigshownin Figure 1;

Figure 10- is a longitudinal; inboardprofile of the floating portion ofthe rig shown in Figure 1;

Figure 11 is a plan view of'thetop of the deck house oithe floatingportion of the ri-g shown in Figure 1;

Figure 12'is a plan view of the main deck of the same structure;

Figure13 is a-plan-view'of the hold'of the same structure;

Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 11 showing an alternativearrangement;

Figure 15' is an enlarged, detailed view of a portion of the-elevationshown in'Figure 2 showing the" mannerin which the platformand floatingportions of the drilling rig'are interconnected;

Figure 16 is a plan view of the portion of the structure shown inelevation in'Figure 15;

Figure 1'7" is a view of the deck house roof construction, partly incross section, on the line lT-l! inFigure II;

Figure 181is aplan view of the structure shown in Figure 17;

Figure 19 is an enlarged, detailed" view in perspective of one of themembers formingpart of the construction shown in Figures 17 and 18;

Figure 20 is another view. in perspective of a portionrof theconstruction shown in Figures 1.7 and 18-;

Figure 21. isstill another view inperspective of a portion. of theconstruction shown in Figures ure2 and illustrating the manner in whichthe I fixed portion of the drilling rig may be moved;

Figure 26 is another elevational view similar to Figure 3 and alsoillustrating how the fixed portion of the structure is moved;

Figure 27 is a plan view of the embodiment of the invention shown inFigures 24, 25 and 26; and

Figure 28 is a view similar to Figure 26 showing the fixed structure inraised position.

Figure 1 shows in more or less outline form the two main portions of thedrilling rig which forms the subject of the present invention, one ofwhich is a floating structure 20 and the other a relatively smallplatform 22. As will be further explained hereinafter, the floatingstructure 20 is a reconstructed Navy YF type barge which is severaltimes the size of the platform '22. It is normally anchored in positionadjacent the platform 22 which is fixedly supported on pilings driveninto the bed 21 of the body of water through which an oil well is to bedrilled.

An important feature of the construction shown herein is a method bywhich the long, narrow floating structure, for example, barge 20 ismaintained in operative relation with the platform 22 and is secured soas to eliminate or substantially eliminate the possibility that thebarge 20 may be driven by the forces of wind or water against theplatform 22, which, for reasons of economy, is preferably small and ofrelatively light construction which cannot withstand continued buffetingby the barge 20. The preferred plan for securing the barge isillustrated in Fi ure 1. Five 3200-pound anchors 24, 26, 28, 30 and 32ar used and are attached to the barge 20 by the usual anchor chains 34,36, 38, 40 and 42, respectively. It will be apparent from a study ofFigure 1 that a much stronger force is required to move the barge 20toward the platform against the resistance of the anchors than isrequired to move the barge 20 in any other direction. This resistance tomovement of the barge 20 against th platform is provided principally bythe bow anchor 28 and to a slightly lesser extent by the forward portand starboard anchors 3i) and 26, respectively. The stern anchors 24 and32, although serving principally to hold the stern of the barge 20against lateral movement, also aid in maintaining it stationary byopposing in part the action of the forward anchors 26, 28 and 36. Thisanchor system, except in severe weather conditions, is capable ofmaintaining the barge at all times in operating position with respect tothe platform 22, as shown, and so long as any one of the three anchors26, 28 or 30 holds, the barge 20 will be prevented from bumping againstthe platform 22.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that the means formaintaining the floating structure in operative relation with theplatform is carried by the floating structure. Furthermore, in theembodiment shown, the floating structure 20 is not held in place even inpart by any means connecting it to the platform 22 and instead issecured in operative position independently of the platform by anchorscarried by the floating structure 20 and cooperating solely with the bedof the body of water under which the well is drilled.

The anchors, as a means of maintaining the barge 2B in operativerelation with the platform 22, permit or do not prevent rolling,pitching, vertical shifting and limited horizontal shifting of the bargeor floating structure 20 with respect to platform 22 in response to theaction of the water and wind including rises and falls of the waterlevel due to tidal action, and still maintain the barge 20 in operativerelation with the platform 22 except under severe weather conditions.The anchors provide a releasable means for maintaining barge 20 inoperative relation with platform 22 and can also be used to move thebarge 28 away from the platform 22, when such movement is desired, as,for example, when danger of damage to the platform by the floatingstructure due to weather conditions arises. This movement isaccomplished by pulling up the proper anchors and using the other orothers to move the barge 29 in the desired direction. This function ofthe anchors is important because ordinarily it is the only availablemeans by which the barge 20 can be moved on short notice.

In operative position with respect to the platform 22, the barge 26 hasits stem end 2i, which is blunt and of approximately the sam width asthe widest part of the barge, juxtaposed to a side 23 of the platform22. The positioning of the barge 26 or other long, narrow floatingstructure with a narrow end juxtaposed to a side of platform 22 ispreferred to protect the platform. Forces of wind and Water which tendto push the barge toward the platform thus operate on a narrow end, thebow 25 of the barge 20 in the embodiment shown, and not against a longside.

The fixed platform 22 is also located with reference to the direction ofthe prevailing winds as indicated in Figure 1. The line 21 in thisfigure is parallel to the center line of the platform 22 which isperpendicular to the side 23 of platform 22 to which the stern 21 of thebarge 20 is juxtaposed. It will also be observed that the line '2'! isparallel to the longitudinal axis of barge 20 when the latter is inoperative relation with platform 22. Arrow 29 in this same figurerepresents the direction of the prevailing winds in the area in whichthe particular platform 22 illustrated is located. As indicated by thelegends in the figure there is an angle of only 7 between the line 21and the line 29 so that the direction of the prevailing winds is fromplatform 22 toward barge 20 substantially along the axis of barge 20.Consequently, the effect of the prevailing winds is to drive barge 20away from platform 22 whereby the latter is protected from damage bybarge 2!] and in addition the effect of these winds on barge 2D isminimized because they are directed against the narrow dimension ofbarge 20. The third line 3! in Figure l indicates North and relates theother two lines 21 and 29 to the points of the compass.

The platform structure 22 with which the barge 20 cooperates issupported on steel pilings in the manner indicated in Figures 2, 3 and6. In one installation the platform 22 is supported on 28 steel pilings,the principal support being provided by 16 24-inch O. D. steel pilingsweighing 128 pounds per foot, eight of which are designated 44 and eight46. As may be seen in Figure 6, the pilings designated 44 are the eightwhich are spaced along the long sides of the platform structure 22.These eight pilings 44, as best seen in Figure 3, extend outwardly fromthe top down at an angle such that the distance between the axis ofpiling 44 and a vertical through the top of the piling increasesapproximately one foot for each 12 feet of length of the piling 44. Theupper ends of the various pilings 44 and 46 are positioned as indicatedin Figure 6, the pilings ,46 being driven directly down into the bed ofthe body of water. All 16 of the pilings 44 and 46 are driven to aminimum penetration of about feet (actually 104 feet in oneinstallation),

into the. bed of the body of waterand extend above the watersu-flicientl-y topositionthe main platform level 48 twenty feetabovemean low tide; Above the water level the pilings' 4t and 46 aretied together with a series of 9% inch steel pipe braces 50 all weldedtogether to.- create: a. rigid structure.

Three dolphin timber piles 52 are employed to provide a buffer betweenthe barge. and the-- remainder of the platform structure 22'. Thedolphin piles 52 are each formed-1 of I9 timbers. driven in a clusterto. a minimum penetration of 75 feet beneath the floor of the body ofwater; Theyare each braced by: three: steel; Habeams: 5.4; driven to; a:depth of:125 feet. at an ang1eof'30 and. welded: to; a. steel plate? 56;fastened. to; the;

timbers.

At the. main. level 48. the; platform extends out for a distance ofabout: 16. feet beyond,- center of the. rowof pilingsi 44. and .46:adjacent the dolphins, 52. which brings it. just up; the dol phins,as-seenin Figure 6.; Thiszolltw i fd extent sion or apron; 5 8; isadditionally supported;- on;

small pilings. 60, along its edge. adjacent: the dol phins 52-.

i k 2 is u p r ed. on a; ub tr c ur 64; carried by, theplatform level48in,-.a position centrally-ofthe width; ofthe; level 48 and adja; cent:the. end of the main-portionoflevel. from which the apron. 58 extends.Suchlocation off. the, derrick 62 at. an end of. the platform level 48-makes itpossible to drill asecond directionalwelt fromthe platform 22;if desiredbymoving. the

derrick 623 tothe opposite end, of theplatform.

feet abovethe platform level. 48. Thejplatform level 66isofapproximately'tlie"samewidth as the derrick substructure 64 andis'leverwit-h' the top of" this substructure 64: As ma-ykbe" seen inFigures 2, 4-and-7, it extends about two-thirds of the distance from thederrick 62'- to the end of-the platform 22 remote from thederrickprotective-roof structure 68; supported at one-end on the derrick-- 62'and at the-.otherby posts 10 extending up from the platform 68',provides -aprotective covering forthe uppert'level llifi.v

As inclicated' above, therequipment actuallyusedt in thedrilling-operation .onthe platfornn22=,. as. distinguished from itsdispositionandzthe:mane.

nerin which it issupported, is: all equipment which ,is .conventional;.fort use. in". land; drilling; operations. This; conventional?equipn'ient in-.- cludes the. usual drawworks 12.: which. is. sup;

ported inpart ong the platform. level: 66; and; in; partgon-thetop; ofthe derrick s ubstructure fig as, It is connected in the usual: way totherotary 14;..and, isdrivem-by a, pair of-diesel; enginesfilfip-and- 18mounted on-the.

best seenin Figure '7;

platformrlevel 66, The enginest'IG-and lalalso drive the usualimud pump,whichis mounted.

on the main platformlevellll. Adjacent vthemud pump 80, on this sameplatform isa. small. mud

tank 82. pump llfl, mud tank 82 and t.h.e welljare not shown sincethese. are of thetus ual type,foundindrilling rigs employed in landoperations,

Thedetailsof thepiping for the mud x was designed; and has been found inpractice: to

be true, that during the drilling of a well weather conditions: areencountered which necessitatea movement of the barge 20 away from; theplat form; 22 forperiods aslong as a day or more in the main platformlevel 48: near theend oppositethat oniwh'ich: the derrick 62 is mounted,as may beseen in Figure 62 A partition 88- (Figure 5') 1 divides thetank 84: interiorly into two compart-- ments, tne smaller of which 90 isfor fresh water and the: larger ot'which 92 is: for fuel. Lengths.

of drilling pipe (not shown) can be stood up;

within the derrick structure: 62 and with these and thewater and 'fuelsupplies and the mud carried inthe mud tankitis: possible for drillingoperations to continue even when thebarge 20 isdriven away from theplatform 22 as; described above.

Extending out from: one side and from the end of the platformopposite'that carrying the derrick,

respectively, are two escape platforms or runways and 96 These platformsor runways 94 and 9e are supported from- -the underside of the mainplatform level 48- and extend outwardly therefrom over the water. Shortflightsofsteps at andl-00 extenddown' to these runways 94' and:

96 from the platformlevel 48" to give workmen: on theplatformeasy accessto the runways 94 and 96; The extreme ends of these runways 94" and- 96'are open and are provided withladders l02-and lM extending down towardthe water. In the event that it becomes desirable for' the workmen toleave the platform quickly beca'use of 'a-present orimminentcatastrophe, these runways provide a means for departing hurriedly butwith a minimum of danger;

Between the derrick 62 and the dolphins 52- a shortram'p I06 extendsdownwardly from the upper'level of the derricksubstructure 64' to theapron-5'8; This ramp I06 is provided to guide drill=pipc=orother likearticles during transfer of such articles-from the-barge 20' to theinside of the derrick 62% As seen in Figure 6 a personnel landingplatform; I08; supportedondolphins l l 0, is provided alongside the mainpart of the platform 22; This platform IUBtogether with the variouswalkways, stairs, protective railsand' ladders'which are provided forthe convenience of personnel in boarding, and moving around ontheplatform 22 are not described in detail since-theydo not form importantparts ofthe structure. Theymay=be located at any convenient place asdesired; Gang'planks l0! and IDS-facilitate movement of personnelbetweenthe barge 20' and platform'22;

Arrangement of the various pieces of equipment required. for drilling,as described above, permits the main platform to be kept to a minim-um'size and thusminimum cost; In one installation which has-beenoperatedsatisfactorily theoverall"dimensions-of the platform 22 including theapron- 58' were 'approximately 46 feetby about-4000 squarefeetandpreferably somewhat It was contemplated at the time this structure less,is entirely satisfactory and; highly d m 7 from the standpoint ofeconomy and risk of loss due to storm damage.

The above described platform structure 22 has the further advantage thatwhen the drilling operation is completed at one location it is possibleto move the platform structure to a new location as hereinafterdescribed.

The cooperating floating structure or barge 20 which is readily floatedat any time to a new location, and the use of which in turn permits theplatform structure 22 to be floated also is illustrated in detail inFigures 9 to 14. Although the floating structure 20 illustrated is areconstructed Navy YF type barge which has been found quitesatisfactory, and is a preferred type of structure, the invention is notintended to be limited to this particular type of floating structure.Any other type of floating structure may be used which is adapted tocontain and support in a convenient and accessible manner the variousitems of equipment hereinafter described as forming part of the barge orfloating structure 20.

The barge 20, as illustrated in Figures 9 to 14, is approximately 260feet long by 48 feet wide and the drawings are made substantially toscale in order accurately to show the relative size and plan of thevarious parts of the equipment carried by the barge 20. The items ofequipment on the barge 20 are arranged on three levels which are,respectively, the hold II2, the main deck I I4 and the deck house roof II6. Figure 10 shows in a general way the frame construction of the bargewhich includes an inner or false bottom I I8 and various columns I22which support the deck house roof II6. At the bow end forecastle deck orforedeck I24 provides an intermediate level which supports various itemsof equipment employed in the anchoring of the barge 20.

Figures 10 and 13 show the inboard profile and the plan of the hold ofthe barge 20. As may be seen, the rearmost space which is utilized inthe hold H2 is chain locker I26. Immediately forward of this chainlocker I26 is a compartment I28 extending across the entire width of thebarge 20. A bulkhead I20, also extending across the entire width of thebarge 20 and from the hull up to the main deck II4, separatescompartment I28 from chain locker I26 and the unused space in bold II2aft of the bulkhead I20. As may be seen in Figure 13 compartment I28 issubdivided by longitudinally extending partitions into four smallercompartments I30, I32, I34 and I36.

The compartment I36 houses a 60 kilowatt 240 volt D. C. diesel electricgenerator I38 and a switchboard therefor I40. The compartments I36 andI34 are ventilated by a duct I42 extending in the compartment I36 whichopens into this compartment at I44 and into compartment I34 at I46.Access to the compartment I36 is provided by a door I48.

The space I34 houses a second switchboard I for the other generatingequipment to be described and also provides space for a fire pump I52, aworkbench I54, a tool locker I56, a series of five carbon dioxidecylinders I58 and steps I60 leading up to a 36-inch by 48-inch raisedhatch on the afterdeck to be described. The main pieces of equipmenthoused within the compartment I32 are a second 60 kilowatt generatorI62, a 20 kilowatt generator I64, a fuel oil service tank I66 and alubricating oil tank I68. Access to the space or compartment I32 isobtained through an opening I10 connecting compartment I32 withcompartment I34.

Access to compartment I30 is provided by a door I12 connecting withcompartment I32. Compartment I30 contains a second ventilating duct I14which opens into compartment I32 through an opening I16. The compartmentI30 is otherwise void except for some shelving I18 in one cornerthereof.

The portion of the hold II2 forward of the space I28 is separated fromthat aft by a bulkhead I extending from the bottom hull of the boat upto the main deck H4 and from the outer hull of the boat on one side tothe outer hull on the other. The space I8I in the hold I I2 immediatelyforward of this bulkhead I80 is divided by a longitudinally extendingpartition I82 into two relatively large compartments I84 and I86 ofsubstantially the same size and is further subdivided On either side byan inner hull I88.

The space between the inner hull I88 and the outer hull I90 is furthersubdivided by a partition I92 on the port side and a similar partitionI94 on the starboard side. The enclosure of the space I8I is completedat the forward end by a second bulkhead I96 similar to the bulkhead I80.The small compartment I98 lying between the bulkhead I80 and partitionI82 and between the inner hull I88 and the outer hull I90 on the portside and the similar compartment 200 on the starboard side are bothvoid. However, the remaining spaces on both the port and starboard sidesbetween the inner hull I88 and outer hull I90 designated respectively202 and 204 are utilized for diesel fuel storage, each of these tankshaving a capacity of 12,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

For the purpose of giving proper marine balance to the barge 20 therelatively large compartment I84 is substantially void of equipment. Itcontains only some piping, not shown, which serves to connect variouspieces of equipment located elsewhere and a series of twenty-five 50-pound carbon dioxide cylinders 206 which are piped to the engine room onthe main deck above the compartment I84. Access to compartment I84 isprovided by a ladder 201 leading to a hatch on the main deck I I4.

Compartment I86, the other of the two large compartments, serves as anauxiliary engine room. It contains a water transfer pump 208 having acapacity of 80 gallons per minute at a pressure of 50 pounds per squareinch and a diesel oil transfer pump 2I0 having a capacity of 40 gallonsper minute at 30 pounds per square inch. A door 209 in partition I82connects compartments I84 and I86 and a second door 2II in bulkhead I80connects compartment I86 with compartment I30.

The next major subdivision 2I3 of the hold II2 terminates at thebulkhead 2I2 which is also similar to the bulkhead I 80, reviouslydescribed. This space 2I3, like space I8I, is subdivided by the innerhull I88 to provide a space or compartment 2 I4 on the port side and asimilar compartment 2I6 on the starboard side. The remainder of thespace 2I3 is occupied by three tanks 2I8, 220 and 222, each of adifferent size as shown in Figure 13. The tank 2I8 serves as the activemud pit, the tank 220 provides a reserve mud pit and the largest tank222 is a water tank which has a capacity of 43,250 gallons.

The pit 2I8 is separated from the pit 220 by a longitudinal bulkhead 2I5formed of inch plate and extending up to the underside of the transversewebs of the main deck I I4. The tanks '9 2I8 and 220 are also providedrespectively with longitudinal bulkheads 2H and 219 similar to thelongitudinal bulkhead .2I5 but having openings therethrough so that theydo not actually subdivide the tanks 2I.8 and 220 into smaller tanks =butserve instead to prevent fluid in the tanks from swashing. To the sameend, tanks 2I8 and 220 are further provided with laterally extendingswash plates which, like longitudinal bulkhead 2I5, are formed of t;inch plate and extend up to the underside of the transverse webs of themain deck II4. These plates extend across tank 2I8 as indicated at 22Iand 225 and correspondingly across tank 220 at Y221 and 228.

Both longitudinally and laterally extending rows of swash plates, fivefeet high, are employed in the large water tank 222. Two rows 23I and235 extend the full length of tank 222 and two more rows 231 and 239extend across the full width. All of these swash plates are formed ofinch plates and are suspended in the tank 222 intermediate the top andbottom thereof as indicated in Figure 10.

Section 223 of the hold II2 immediately forward of the bulkhead 2I2 andlying between it and the next similar bulkhead 224 is used entirely forwater storage. The two tanks lying between the inner hull I88 and theouter hull I98 are designated 226 on the port side and 228 on thestarboard side. The remaining space is also formed into two tanks 230and 232. Tank 230 has a capacity of 22,800 gallons of water and tank 232has a capacity of 43,250 gallons of water. Both the tanks 230 and 232are provided with rows of swash plates like the rows 23I, 235, 231and-239 in tank 222.

The next main section 233 of the hold H2 also is utilized for waterstorage. It lies between the bulkhead 224 and another similar bulkhead234. In this section the space between the inner hull I88 and the outerhull I80 is subdivided on each side into three parts providing tanks 236and 238 and void space 248 on the port side, and tanks 242, 244 and voidspace 246 on the starboard side. The centra1 portion of space 233 isdivided into two large tanks 248 and 250 similar to the tanks 230 and232 and similarly provided with rows of swash plates like the rows 23I,235, 231 and 233. The tanks 236, 238, 242 and 244 are used for thestorage of potable water, tanks 236 and 242 each holding 5160 gallons,and tanks 238 and 244 each holding 4800 gallons. The water in tanks 248and 250 is simply fresh water, tank 248- holding 38,160 gallons and tank258 holding 52,140 gallons.

In the space 25I forward of the bulkhead 234 there are two maincompartments 252 and 254 separated by a partition 216 and enclosed bythe bulkhead 234, a partition 253 on the port side, a partition 255 onthe starboard side and a partition Z51 extending across the bow of thebarge. The compartment 252 serves as crew's quarters and is providedwith bunks 256 and lockers 258. From this compartment 25.2 a 15-inch by30-inch air duct 260 extends up to. a cowl on the foredeck to bedescribed.

A partition 262 having a door 284 walls off a small room 266 at one endof the compartment 264. Located within this room 266 are a flushing tankand pump 268 and a fresh water tank and pump 218. The remainder of thecompartment 254 is void except for steps 212 which lead up to the galleyon the 'main deck to be described. Communication between compartments250 and 254 is provided by an opening 214 in the wall 216 whichseparates the two. Half of the space 211 in the forepeak forward of thecompartments 252 and 254 provides a chain locker 218, the other halfbeing void, asare the other portions of space 25I lying outsidecompartments 252 and 254.

Referring now to Figure 12 which shows the plan of the main deck II4, itwill be seen that the bulk of this deck is enclosed by a. deck house230. lit the forward end of the boat the deck house extends up to theforecastle 282. The deck house 280 does not extend clear to the stern ofthe boat, however, so that there is a small, open aiterdeck 284. Thedeck house 286 is also spaced inwardly from the sides of the barge 26 toleave small walkways 286 on the port side and 283 on the starboard sideof the barge 28, each of which is about four feet wide. As best seen inFigures 9 and 11, the walkways 286 and 288 toward the forward end of thebarge 20 communicate respectively with ramps 290 and 282 leading fromthe main deck I I4 to the forecastle deck I24.

Referring back again now to Figure 12, it will be seen that theafterdeck 284 carries various items of equipment used in connection withthe anchoring and mooring of the barge, 20 including a warping winch296, a control stand therefor 298, a pair of 14-inch double bitts 300and 382, a stern chock 304, two closed chocks 306 and 388, an anchor,davit 3I0, a Windlass 3I2 and a chain pipe 3I4, which lattercommunicates with the chain locker I26, previously described. Inaddition to the foregoing pieces of equipment the afterdeck 284 is alsoprovided with a 36-inch by 48-inch raised hatch 3I6, an 18-inch cowl 3I8and a 24-inch cowl 320. The hatch 3I6 provides access to the steps I60leading down to the hold compartment 134 and cowls 3! and 328 areconnected, respectively, to the ducts I42 and I14 to complete theventilating system for the hold space I28.

A door 322 in the rear wall portion of the deck house 286 gives accessto the interior of the deck house from the afterdeck 284. The interiorof the deck house 280 is divided into several rooms, the room 324nearest the stern extending up to a partition 326 which extends directlyabove the bulkhead I96 in the hold. The next room forward designated 328extends up to a, partition 330 which is directly above the bulkhead 2I2.A third partition 332, located directly above the bulkhead 224 forms theforward wall of another room 334. Still another bulkhead or partition336 form the forward wall of an additional room 338 and separates thecrew's quarters, designated generally 340, which lie forward of thepartition 336 from the remainder of the main deck.

The room 324 nearest the stern of the boat is used as an engine room.The two main pieces of equipment housed'within this room are the mainmud pump 3:12am! the diesel engine for driving the same 344, and the mudmixing pump 346 and the diesel engine for driving it 348. The largeengine 344 exhausts through a mufiler 358 and the smaller engine 348exhausts through a line 352 including a mufller 354. From the mufflers350 and 354 the exhaust is carried up to outlets on the deck house roofI16, to be described. I

To one side of the main mud pump engine 344 near the deck house wall isan electrically driven air compressor 356; Fuel for the diesel engines:44 and 348-is supplied from a 1000-gallon diesel fuel oil day tank 358supported in an elevated position adjacent one end of the engine 344. Toassist in handling the large machinery within room 324, a one-ton chainblock is suspended from the deck house roof upon a trolley riding on atrack 366 secured to the underside of the deck house roof 116 andrunning longitudinally of the barge 28 over the main engine 344. Asimilar one-ton chain block on a trolley rides on a track 362 suspendedfrom the underside of the deck house roof 116 adjacent the after end 01room 324 and extending laterally of the barge 28. Approximately underone end of the track 362 a rack 364 is provided to contain four 55-gallon drums.

The rearmost portion of the room 324 serves as a machine shop. It isequipped with an electrically driven 300-ampere welding unit 366, a workbench 368 and a tool locker 318. In the above description of the hold,reference was made to a ladder 281 extending up in room 184. Access tothis ladder is provided through a hatch 312 opening through the maindeck 114 into the engine room 324. This hatch is approximately five feetin diameter and is provided with a 12- inch combing.

Mud returning to the barge 28 from the platform 22 enters a 12-inchoutside diameter pipe 314 suspended from the deck house roof 116. Aswill be further described hereinafter, the deck house roof 116 extendsout over the afterdeck 284 and one end of the pipe 314 is locatedapproximately vertically above the sternmost edge of the afterdeck 284.From this point the pipe 314 extends forwardly and passes through therear portion of the deck house wall 288 at 316. Pipe 314, as may be seenin Figure 10, inclines downwardly from the stern of the barge 28 towardthe bow so that gravity flow of mud through the pipe is obtained. At itsforward end within the engine room 324 the pipe 314 empties into aninclined trough 318 supported on the main deck H4 and extending throughthe partition 326 to empty into the active mud tank 218 through anopening in the main deck 114 i to be described which opening is locatedin room 328. Inclination of the trough 318 is such that at the partition326 it is approximately eight inches above the main deck and at itsafter end trough 318 is approximately five feet above the main deck.

A relatively large central opening 388 in the partition 326 providesaccess between rooms 324 and 328. The only piece of equipment housedwithin room 328 is an oil well cementing skid unit 382 which is locatedon the starboard side. On this same side of the barge 28 in the room 328and forward of the unit 382 is a 12-feet by 14-feet covered hatch 384which gives access to water tank 222.

The main deck on the port side of room 328 overlies the active mud pit21 8 and the reserve mud pit 228. To facilitate various operationswithin these mud pits, six openings are cut through the main deck I 14in room 328. Two of these 386 and 388 are approximately 6 feet, 6 inchesby 9 feet. 11 inches, a third 398 is approximately 9 feet, 11 inches by13 feet, two others 392 and 388 are each 4 feet, 11 inches by 13 feet, 6inches and the sixth 384 is approximately 4 feet, 11 inches by 13 feet.It will be seen that it is through the opening 382 that the trough 318empties into the active mud tank 218.

An opening 398 through the partition 338, which is similar to theopening 388, connects 12 rooms 328 and 334. This room 334 is used as astorage room and has a capacity of ten boxcar loads of mud, weightmaterials, chemicals and the like. Two 12-feet by l6-feet coveredhatches 488 and 482 in room 334' open into water tanks 238 and 232.

The relatively large central opening 484 through the partition orbulkhead 332 makes the next small room 338 substantially a part of theroom 334. This room 338 provides a portion of the storage capacity whichaccommodates the ten boxcar loads of material, as described above. Room338 also contains two l2-feet by 14-feet covered hatches 486 and 488through which water storage tanks 248 and 258, respectively, may bereached.

From the after portion of the main deck 114, the crews quarters 348,which are located in the forward portion of the main deck and in theforecastle 282 as set out above, are reached through a door 418 in thebulkhead or partition 336, previously described. The crews quarters mayalso be entered from the walkway 286 through a door 412 in the deckhouse wall 288. The door 412 opens into a, space 414 which serves bothas a passageway and as a space for lounging and recreation.

Adjoining the bulkhead 336 on the starboard side of the barge 28 is aroom 416 containing bunks 418 and lockers 428. This room is enteredthrough a door 422 from a passage 424. From the passage 424 a door 428opens into another passage 428 extending longitudinally of the barge 28and communicating with the passage 414. Another door 438 in the passage424 opens into additional sleeping quarters 432 provided with bunks 418.At the forward end of the passage 424 an opening 434 leads into stillanother passage 436. From this passage 436 storeroom 438 may be enteredthrough a door 448 and from the storeroom 438a door 442 opens into alamproom 444. From passage 436 another door 446 leads into the galley448.

The galley 448 is provided with the usual equipment including arefrigerator 458, a sink 452, a range 454, a fan 456, bins 458, messtable 468, a dish rack 462, a second fan 464, and a medicine cabinet466. On the starboard side of the galley 448 a door 468 opens into acommissary storeroom 418 provided with shelving 412. A door 414 in theforward wall of the galley 448 leads into boatswains stores 416 providedwith shelving 418 on both the port and starboard sides. A hatch 488through the main deck 1 14 within the galley 448 gives access to steps212 leading down into the hold H2. Above the steps 212 a second flightof steps 482 leads up from the galley 448 to the foredeck 124.

On the starboard side of the barge 28 additional sleeping quarters 484are reached through a door 486 from the galley 448. Sleeping quarters484, like the others described, contain bunks 418 and lockers 428. Awashroom 481 adjoins the sleeping quarters 484 and is reached through adoor 483. This washroom is equipped with a shower 582, a locker 428, twotoilets 586 and two lavatories 584.

Referring back now to the passage 428, it will be seen that at theforward end thereof there is a hose rack 488 and a fire plug 498.Leading off from the passage 428 toward the port side of the barge 28 isa short passage 492 at the end of which a door 484 leads into a room496. This room 486 is provided with bunks 418 for the men in charge ofthe drilling crews and also houses the mmunica ions eq ipm nt 4.9. Fremh room 496 a door 500 ives access to a washroom 50] provided with ashower 5 62 a lavatory 5.04 and a toilet 506.

Referring back once more to the passage 428., it will be observed that adoor 508 leads from .this passage into a room 5W which serves as a hos:pital. It is provided with bunks 41.8, a lavatory 504, and a medicinecabinet 466. Adjoining the hospital 5I0, but accessible only from thepassage l4 through a door 512, is another washroom 514 which is al oequipped with a shower 5.02, a locker 628, toilets 565 and lavatories504. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the barge 2!! is providedwith extensive and well equipped crews quarter hich e de e. to accommdate two ull drilling crews. n lud n he men in s ares o the crews andalso to leave space for the personn w ope a th a e or the er onnerequired. fro time to. me t op r t e al equipment utilized in connectionwith the drilling operation.

As explained above, the ioredeck 1 forecastle deck 124 carries equipmentwhich is utilized in anchoring or moor n he bar e 2 Th s includes aWindlass l6, a bow chock- 518, a davit a pair of clo ed che k 5 .2 a d 2a a r of 14.-inch double bitts 526 and 52,8 and a warps in winch 530.Just. forw rd h W ndl s 5 .6 a chain pipe 532 leads down into the chainlocker 218, The steps 4.82 leading up from the l y are ached from theorede k 2 through a 36-inch by 48-inch raised hatch 5.3.4. The. afterportion of the foredeck I is covered y a awning 6 pport d at i s o ward.end. t

on posts .538. extendin up f om he er de k I24 and from short columns orposts 54.51 extending up from the roof H6 of the deck house. The crewsquarters in the foreeastle are ventilated through a 10-inch cowl 5.42and an .8- 8

inch cowl 544 extending up from the foredeck I24. The remainder of thecrews quarters .in the forepart of the main deck and in the hold areventilated by three 18-inch cowls, two, of which 546. and 568 extend upnear the forward end of the deck house roof H46, and the third of which550 extends up from the deck house roof H6 farther aft.

The bulk of the deck house roof H6 is uti? lized for pipe storage and tothis end six pipe storage racks are provided. Hacks 552 and 554 arelocated approximately over the room 334, racks 55.5 and 558 are locatedabout mid-way between the stern of the barge 2.0 and the first tworacks, and racks .560 and 562 are mounted adjacent the stern end of thebarge. These racks 56c and 562 extend out beyond the deck house 280 ontothe extension 5.6.4 of the deck house roof I [6 which extension overliesthe af erdeck 284 as men ioned abovesion .564 is firmly supported by aseries of eight 54 0. 1 p p sta ehions 66 extendin up. from the maindeck H4. Each of the pipe storage racks 552, 554, 556 and 558 has acapacity of approximately tons of drilling pipe and the two racks 550and 582 each have aicapacity of approximately tons of drilling pipe.

The details of the constructi n of the pipe racks 560 and 56.2 are shownin Figures 17 to 22. The construction of the racks 552, 554 556 and 558is the same as that of 560 and 562, and it should therefore beunderstood that Figures 17 to 22 are also illustrative of the structuref these ac s. As m be een in Fi ure 17. the deck house roof H6 beneathth pipe reeks This .extene s ppor ed n rders su h as the s r-fi r 6.8 ans sli ht h her in th c nte ha it s at. he s de f as e hav n a pit iabout Six inches twenty feet. The base of each pipe rack is a series, orfour I-beam p eces 51!! xt d a e l 0 h ar e 2 a a ed ve t qua dis an e ludin l he o a w m re ull ap r rom Figures 10 and ll. as the descriptionproceeds, two of the tour p e e 0. in ea ack a e p a ed espee: ir edie nthe fore an a ends O h reek and the other two pieces 510 are locatedtherebetween to .proyide equal spacing as set out. in the p ecedin entenThe lower portion or each piece 510 is cut awa on an n e a s o n nFigure s t when the piece rests upon the sloping deck house roof H6 thetop flange 512 extends in a he ize tel Plane Th I- a pieces are ea hwelded to, the deck house roof H6 and are each braced with a series oftwelve gusset plates 5", six on each side, each of which is welded tothe deckhouse roof H6 and to its associat- .ed I ebearn 510 At the outerend of each I- beam 5]!) adjacent the side of the barge 20, a verticallyextendin Iebeam piece 516 is secured to the deck house roof and to theI-.-beam 5.10 to form an abutment member which prevents pipe such as thepipe 518 from rolling oh the barge 20.. To provide strength at the basewithout ezgcessiye weight, the vertically extending l-bearn or abutment516 is formed from a relatively large I-beain and one flange and aportion of the web of the I-beam are cut away 01. a d a on l as i i atedi i u 7. and a new flange 580 is welded on the cut surface. The la e 2wh c ema n o h eam or abutment .516 serves as a track as will be decrbed- There is also an abutment in the form of a column 596 at the innerend of each base 510. This column is supported on a base comprise ing asmall, hollow box-like structure 584 sowi ed to the deck. h u e Q f Hand p r ing a plate .586 in raised position. Plate 586 we ed o thebQK-lik t ucture 584 and as best seen in Figure 22, a. flange 588 is inturn welded to the plate 586 which is provided with a central opening590 which registers with the threaded opening 594 of the flange 588.Column 596 has a threaded lower .end which screws into the flange 58g,whereby the column 596 is sup orted in vertical position as shown.

As best seen in Figure 22 the columns 596 are for-med of a plurality ofnipples or Couplings 598 each of which is internally threaded on one endas indicated at 600 and exteriorly threaded on the other end as at 602with threads matching the threads 600, whereby one nipple 588 may bethreaded into another and so on to form a column 585 of a heightdetermined by the number of nipples 528 which are threaded together. Itwill be apparent that the column 596, in addition to being adapted to beincreased or decreased in height rapidly by altering the number ofnipples 598 included therein, is also readily removed from the flange588 to facilitate the transfer of pipe into or out of the pipe racks552, 554, etc.

To secure pipe 518 firmly in place in the racks each rack provided witha series of tie rods 60!, one of which is shown in perspective in Figure19. The tie rods 604 are formed of two red po tions 59.6 and 60a. Therod 606 is bent into rin a one end of proper size to re- 15 ceive thecolumn 595 slidably therethrough, and is threaded on the other end at6l2 into a tie member 6| 4. The second rod 608 is secured at its outerend to a block BIG which is cut away at 6!! to receive the flange 582and the web portion of the vertically extending I-beam piece 516 looselyin slidable relation. It will be apparent that the arms 62!] and 622 ofthe block 6H5 extending in behind the flange 582 will resist ahorizontal pull tending to disengage the block BIS from the track orflange 582.

The rod 608 is also threaded into the tie member 6 l 4 at its inner endat 624. One of the threads BIZ and 624 is a right-hand thread and theother a left-hand thread so that the tie member GM with the inner endsof the rods 554 and 608 forms a turnbuckle whereby the total length ofany rod 604 may be increased or decreased to permit it to slide up thecolumn 596 and abutment 515 and be removed or to secure it firmly inplace above a layer of pipe as illustrated in Figure 17 and to clamp alayer of ipe tightly between a column 596 and a cooperating abutmentmember 516.

To facilitate the transfer of pipe from storage racks 552. 554, etc, tothe platform 22 under which the well is being drilled, a trough 626 isprovided which extends longitudinally of the deck house roof H5centrally thereof from just forward of the racks 552 and 554 to theafter end of the deck house roof extension 564. The trough 526 issecured in place on the deck house roof I I6 by supports 628 and liesbetween a pair of walkways 530 and 532 which are substantiallycoextensive with the trough 625 lengthwise.

Two derricks G34 and 635, each of five tons capacity, are used to handlethe drilling pipe 518. Derrick 634 is supported on the deck house roof Il S centrally thereof and just forward of the forward end of the trough626, and the derrick 636 is mounted just forward of the pipe rack 552 onthe starboard side of the deck house roof H5. Each of the derricks 534and 536 is provided with a pivotal mounting, the boom 638 on derrick 634being of sufiicient length to reach the racks 552 and 554, and the boom645 on derrick 636 reaching the other four pipe racks 556, 558, 550 and562.

With the aid of derricks 634 and 636, sections of pipe are lifted quitereadily from any of the pipe racks and deposited in the trough 626. Atthe forward end of the trough there is a double drum winch G42. Sectionsof pipe 518 in the trough 52!; are readily transferred along the trough525 with the aid of a cable extending from the winch 542 to a sheave,not shown, secured at the stern of the barge 2l and back to the otherdrum of the winch $42.

The deck house roof I I5, in addition to supporting the various items ofequipment previously described, also supports on the port side in thespace between racks 554 and 553, adjacent the walkway 530, an electriclogging and side well coring device 646. As shown in Figure 24 aplatform 648, secure-cl to the deck house roof H6, provides a levelarea. upon which the logging and coring device 546 may rest.

Also on the port side, but farther aft between the racks 556 and 560,there is a double width squirrel cage exhaust fan 558 with a capacity of50,050 cubic feet of air per minute at half-inch static pressure. Thisfan 655 is supported on a l2-feet by 16-feet raised hatch cover 652.Beneath the fan 65! an opening, not shown, is provided in the hatchcover so that the fan 650 may draw air up from the deck house andexhaust it through the louvres 654 on the port side of the fanstructure. Fan 350 is surrounded and protected by a housing 655.

Although a number of the original hatches of the YF type barge arecovered over and rendered inaccessible by the various items of equipment carried on the deck house roof H6, as has been described, three12-foot by 16-feet hatches 658, 650 and 652 are retained. These hatchesare all raised slightly above the deck house roof and provided withremovable covers. The hatch 652 is not accessible to either of thederricks 634 or 636 and for this reason a cargo davit 564 is retainedadjacent this hatch.

As a safety precaution the barge 28 carries two lifeboats 566 and 668.These are supported near the forward ends of the barge on the deck houseroof IIS-BBG on the port side and 658 on the starboard side. Eachlifeboat is 20 feet by 6 feet by 2 feet, 6 inches and of metallicconstruction with a capacity of 18 persons and a volume of cubic feet.The lifeboats are supported respectively on mechanical boom type davits610 and 512 by means of which the lifeboats may be swung out over thesides of the barge and launched.

Figure 9, which shows the outboard profile of the barge 2D, is closelyrelated to Figure 11 since it shows many of the same items of equipmentin elevation which are shown in plane in Figure 11 and have already beendescribed in connection with the latter figure. It also has features incommon with Figure 12. For example, it shows the '7- feet by 10-feetdouble door 614 which opens from the engine room 324 onto the walkway288 on the starboard side of the barge. This door 514 facilitates thetransfer of machinery into and out of the engine room 324. The interiorof the deck house is lighted through a number of portholes 6'56, thelocation of which is indicated in Figure 9. Figure 9 also shows thehandrail 618 which runs up the outer edge of the ramp 292, around theforedeck I24 and down the outer edge of the ramp 295 to the walkway 285,and ladders '380 and 682 which extend from the walkway 283 up to thedeck house roof I IS. The port profile, not shown, is substantially thesame as the starboard profile shown in Figure 9.

For normal drilling operations the barge 20 is moored, as shown inFigure l, with the broad stern end adjacent the dolphins 52. As shown inFigures 15 and 16, although the barge 25 is not in any manner secured tothe platform 22, there are flexible connections running between thebarge 2n and the platform 22 through which mud, water and electricityare supplied to the platform from the principal sources thereof locatedon the barge, as previously explained.

Referring particularly to Figure 16, it may be seen that there is a pipe684 shown which extends longitudinally of the barge adjacent the portside. As indicated in the figure, the forward portion of this pipe whichis not shown leads to the discharge from the mud pump 342. The pipe, asshown in Figure 15, is supported just under the deck house roofextension 564, and on the apron 58, opposite it, there is acorresponding pipe 688 which, as indicated by the legend, extends to thewell. The adjacent ends of pipes 684 and 686 are connected by a seriesof swivel joints 688 and short lengths of steel pipe 690.

Such swivel joints for example as ch Swivel Joints and metal pipe arepreferred be- Pause of the h gh pressures which are employed In the udlines. It is to be understood however, that other types of flexibleconnections

